Clutch device.



J. P. COLEMAN.

` CLUTCH DEVICE. v APB'IOATION FILED APB.. 5, 1911. 1,003,339, PatentedSept. 12, 1911.

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Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN P. COLEMAN, OF EDGEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'I O TI-IE UNIONSWITCH 8c SIGNAL COMPANY, 0F SYLVANIA.

SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- CLUTCH DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911.

Application filed April 5, 1911. Serial No. 618,995.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 p is a perspective view, partlysectioned, showing one form of a clutch device embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. l looking in thedirection of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a view showing more clearly one of themembers of the clutch device shown in the preceding views, and Fig. 4 isa side view of the member shown in Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theviews.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 10 and 11 are two clutchmembers mounted as here shown to have concentric and independentrotation. As here shown, the member 11 is secured to a shaft 16 by meansof a set screw 17. One end of the shaft 16 is journaled in rollerbearings 14 which are carried by a portion 12 of a suitable stationaryframework. The other end of the shaft 16 is journaled in a bearingformed by a hub 15 of the clutch member 10. This hub 15 has an extendedportion 18 on one side of the member 10, which extended portion servesas a journal to rotate in a bearing formed by a portion 13 of thestationary framework. A portion of the shaft 16 is hollow for purposeshereinafter explained.

For purposes of this specification, I will assume that the member 10 isthe operating or driving member; that is, this member is operativelyconnected with a suitable motor device by which it is rotated in thedirection indicated by the arrow Y, and that the member 11 isoperatively connected with a load which is to be driven, and which is tobe held in the position or positions to which it is driven. The loadtends to rotate this member 11 in the direction indicated by the arrowX.

19 designates a rocking shaft suitably mounted on the clutch member 11.As here shown, this shaft is ournaled adjacent each end in bearingsformed by two lugs 20 and 21 carried. by the member 11. Rigidly securedto the shaft 19 is a dog 23 which is so arranged as to be rot-ated bythe rocking of the shaft,19 into and out of position for engagement witha stud 22 which is rigidly secured to the rotatable member 10. It willbe evident that when the shaft 19 is held against rotation upon its axisand the dog is in position for engagement with the stud 22, a rotarymovement of either of the niembers 10 or 11 in the proper direction willbe transmitted to the other member.

25 designates a crank rigidly secured to the shaft 19 and projectingthrough a slot 26 into the hollow portion of the shaft 16. This crank isbifurcated to form a jaw, whichjaw is provided with a pin 27 locatedsubstantially in the axis of rotation of the clutch members 10 and 11.

24 is a member pinned in the aw of the crank 25 and adapted forlongitudinal movements through the hollow portion of the shaft 16 insubstantially the line of the axis of rotation of the clutch members 10and 11. The movements of the members 24 are constrained to this axialline by means of a suitable guideformed by an enlarged portion 28 whichbears against the inside surface of the hollow portion of the shaft 16.

It will be evident from the foregoing de scription that if pressure isexerted on theY longitudinally movable member 24 in a direction towardthe crank 25, the dog 23 will be held in position for engagement withthe stud 22; and that the two rotatable members 10 and 11 will be inoperative relation. Also, when this pressure is released the effort ofone member to drive the other will result in a pressure between the dogand the stud, which will rotate the dog out of the, path of the stud,and the members will be disconnected or thrown out of operativerelation. This .pressure on the longitudinally movable members 24 may beexerted by any suitable means. As here shown, an armature 31 of astationary electro-magnet 30 is connected through a rod-32 and links 33and 34 with a ball, 35, which bears against the end of the member 24.This ball 35 is loosely mounted in a suitable socket 29 affixed to theend of the member 24. The links 33 and 34 are so arranged tion that thedog tion of arrow X or Y.

' stroke of the member tha-t an upward movement of the armature 31 andthe rod 32 will cause a movement of the ball 35 in such a direction asto move the dog 23 into position for engagement with the stud 22; andthe dog will be held in such position as long as the armature is held upby its controlling electro-magnet 30.

Although the means which I have herein shown for exerting pressure onthe longitudinally movable member 24 is an electromagnet, I do not wishto be limited to this particular means, nor do I wish to be limited tothe specific form of electro-magnet shown and described herein.

In order to provide the required length of 24, the stroke of thearmature 31 is necessarily great, and if the electro-magnet 30 weredepended upon for raising t-he armature, the power required would bemany times greater than that required to hold the parts in the engagingposition after they have been placed there. Hence it is desirable toprovide means for raising the armature 31 against the magnet pole-pieceswhen the dog and the stud approach each other. As here shown, this meanscomprises a cam surfaeef` 36 on the clutch member 10, which cam surfaceacts upon a restoring pawl 37 carried by the shaft 19 to rotate theshaft into such posii 23 lies in the path of the stud 22, and to therebyraise the armature 31 upward against the pole-pieces of theelectro-magnet 30. This action of the cam surface upon the restoringpawl occurs whenever either of the members 10 or 1l rotates relativelyto the other in the direc- As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, thecam surface 36 is preferably formed with an inclined face 40 which actsgraduallyupon the restoring pawl 37, the remainder of the cam surfacebeing a flat face 41. This means just describedfor raising and holdingthe armature 31 against the pole-pieces of the electromagnet 30 mustcease to exert any holding effort before the dog 23 is brought intocontact with the stud 22, otherwise it would prevent the rotation of theshaft b y the pressure ofthe stud 22 on the dog 23 for isengagement ofthe two clutch members when the electro-magnet is denergized. The cam 36is therefore so formed as to end abruptly and to pass out of positionfor engagement with the restoring pawl 37 just before the stud 22 andthe dog 23 come into contact with each other. But when the two clutchmembers are to be operatively engaged, it is essential that theelectro-magnet 30 should be energized before the cam surface 41 and therestoring pawl 37 pass out of mutual engagement, so that when these lastmentioned members do pass out of engagement the electro-magnet will beexerting its eort to hold the armature 31 and the may be used ous formsof apparatus, but it is especially" adapted to railway signalmechanisms, and

in a signal mechanism substantially like that shown and described in myco-pending application Serial No. 558,934. i

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of clutchdevice embodying my invention, I do not wish to be limited 'to thisspecific form, for it is understood that this form may be widelydeparted from without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a dog carried by the other member and havingmovement relatively thereto, the said relative movement being into andout of position for engagement with the stud, a stationaryelectro-magnet, and mechanism interposed between the electromagnet andthe dog for holding the dog in position for engagement with the studwhereby the two rotatable members may be operatively connected.

2. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a dog carried by the other member and havingmovement relatively thereto, the said relative movement being into andout of position for engagement with the stud, a stationaryelectro-magnet, mechanism interposed between the electromagnet and thedog for holding the dog in position for engagement with the stud and forpermitting the dog to move out of such position according to whether ornot the electro-magnet is energized, and means for restoring the doginto position for engagement with the stud during a rotation of eitherof the rotatable members relatively to the other.

3. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a dog carried by the other member and havingmovement relatively thereto, the said relative movement being into andout of position for engagement with the stud, and means independent ofthe rotatable members for holding the dog in position for engagementwith the stud whereby the two rotatable members may be operativelyconnected.-

4. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member and mountedto rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the saidmembers, a dog secured to said shaft and adapted to rock into and out ofdposition for engagement with the stud, an means including a stationaryelectro-magnet for holding the dog in position for engagement with thestud whereby the two rotatable members may be operatively connected.

5. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member and mountedto rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the saidmembers, a dog secured to said shaft and adapted to rock into and out ofposition for engagement with the stud, a stationary electro-magnet;mechanism interposed between the electro-magnet and the shaft forholding the shaft in position for the engagement of the dog with thestud, and for permitting the shaft to rock out of such positionaccording to whether or not the electromagnet is energized; and meansfor restoring the dog into position for engagement with the stud duringa rotation of either of the rotatable members relatively to the other.

6. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a Astudcarried by one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member andmounted to rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of thesaid members, a dog secured to said shaft and adapted to rock into andout of position for engagement with the stud, and means for holding theshaft in position for engagement of the dog with the stud whereby thetwo rotatable members may be operatively connected.

7. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member, and mountedto rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the saidmembers, a dog secured to the shaft and arranged to rock into and out ofposition for engagement with the said stud; a member operativelyconnected with the said shaft and adapted for longitudinal movements insubstantially the line of the axis of the rotatable members, and.meansfor exerting pressure on said longitudinally movable member whereby thedog is held in position for engagement with the stud.

S. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member, and mountedto rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the saidmembers, a dog secured to the shaft and arranged to rock into and out ofposition for engagement with the said stud; a crank secured to theshaft, a member operatively connected with the crank and adapted forlongitudinal movements in substantially the line of the axis of therotatable members, and meansy for exerting pressure on saidlongitudinally movable member whereby the dog is held in position forengagement with the stud.

9. In a clutch device, two independent rotatable members, a stud carriedby one of said members, a shaft carried by the other member, and mountedto rock on an axis transverse to the axis of rotation of the saidmembers, a dog secured to the shaft and arranged to rock into and out ofpositio-n for engagement with the said stud; a crank secured to theshaft, a member operatively connected with the crank and adapted forlongitudinal movements in substantially the line of the axis of therotatable members, a stationary electro-magnet, and mechanism interposedbetween the electromagnet and the longitudinally movable member andcontrolled by the electro-magnet for exerting pressure on saidlongitudinally movable member whereby the dog is hield in position forengagement with the stu 10. In a clutch device, two independentrotatable members, a stud carried by one of said members, a shaftcarried by the other member and mounted to rock on an axis transverse tothe axis of rotation of the said members,` a dog secured to the saidshaft and adapted to rock into and out of position for engagement withthe stud, a stationary electro-magnet, mechanism interposed between theelectro-magnet and the shaft for holding the dog in position forengagement with the stud and for permitt-ing the dog to move out of suchengaging position; and means for restoring the dog into position forengagement with the stud during a rotation of one of the rotatablemembers relatively to the other, the said means comprising a cam surfacecarried by the rotatable member which carries the stud, and a restoringpawl carried by the rocking shaft and coacting with the cam surface.

In' testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

A. L. VENCILL, I. J. HARTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). G.

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